Check protector



Cet. 6, 1925;

H. C. WELTER CHECK PROTECTOR 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. /aff/za/ CT' Zl/@Zr y 5%@ ATTORNEY.;

Filed Aug. 23, 1925 od.v 6,1925. 1,555,552

. H. C. WELTER CHECK PROTECTOR 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fld Aug. 23, 1923 J7 .51 i I ,la

M. .5- E @K M if Z n .j 5.o n.' w

will] INVENTOR.

UNITED` STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HERMAN c. WELTER, or ROCHESTER, NEW YORK, AssIGNOR 'ro HALL-WELTEE OO'.

. ING., OFROOHESTEE, NEW YORK. f

CHECK PROTECTOR. Y

Application filed August 23, 1823.Y Serial No. 659,011.

To all whom 'it may concern.' Fig. 5 is a sectional view on the line 5-5,

Be it known that I, HERMAN C. WELTER, Fig. 1.

a citizen of the United States, residing at Fig. 6 shows acheck writing machine in Rochester, in the county of Monroe and side elevation and the check protector at- State of New York, have invented a new and tachment secured thereon. 60 Improved Check Protector, of which the fol- Fig. 7 is an enlarged sectional detail view lowing is a specification. v of the markingfroller and platen.

The present invention relates to check pro- Fig. 8 shows a fragmentary portion ofr a tectors of the character adapted tO- inutilate check having the amount for which the check 10 the surface of the paper in such manner as is made payable illustrated ras printed by a 65 to prevent altering the subject matter writcheck writing machine, and the payecs naine ten o-r printed thereon, an object of the inprotected by markings on the paper made by vention being to provide an effectively opera device constructed inaccordance with the able device for this purpose which is of simpresent invention. a Y

ple and yinexpensive construction. In ac- Fig. 9 is a side View in detail o-f a modi- 70 complishiiig this, I make use of two impresfication of the invention in which two niarl sion members movable relatively toward each ing rollers are used. other to break the surface of the paper Yheld And, F ig. 10 is a sectional view on the line between them, and it is another object of the 10-10, Fig. 9.

invention to provide an adjustable means for In the drawings similar reference iiu- 75 limiting the movement of these members so inerals refer to similar parts throughout the as to predetermine the depth of the impresseveral views.

sion to be made and also to secure a correrI he numeral l represents a base plate sponding depression in checks varying inV which may be secured to a support in any thickness of paper. suitable manner. In the present instance, the S0 Although the device may be used for support is the upper portion 2 of a check marking on any portion of a check or draft, writing machine, such portion being formed it is more especially intended to be employed with a top wall upon which the base plate in conjunction with a check writing marests and side walls. T'o the end that the 3U chine, the latter printing and mutilating the base 1 may-be firmly clamped to the ma- S5 paper along the amount line while the .dechine, it is formed on one side with downvice is used to mark the paperover the wardly projecting ears Sadapted to engage payees naine; and to this end it is a further one of the said side walls and on its other object of the invention to construct the deside, intermediate the arms 3, with a similar vice as an attachment to a check writer but armV 4 threaded to receive a transversely eX- 90 having it removable and independently tending screw 5 having a clamping head 6 operable. Y lrotatably mounted on its inner end for 'en- And, a still'further object of the invenL gaging the other of said side walls, turning v tion is to so mark the paper as not toydestroy of the screw 5 drawing the clamping niem- 40 the legibility ofthe written or printed matbers toward each other to firmly` grip the 95 ter. side walls of the machine head. Non-metal- To these and other ends the invention conlic washers 7 are preferablycarried on the sists of certain parts and combinations of kunder face of the base 1 and the in ner faces parts as will be fully set forth in the followof the arms 3 and screw head 6 to insure an 100 ing description and particularly defined in even bearing for the base plate and prevent the appended claims. marring the surface of the head 2.

.The accompanying drawings illustrating At one end of the base plate-1 is a lateral the invention are as follows; f extension 8 formed with upwardly extend- Figure 1 is a top plan view ofthe check ing ears 9 carrying a pintle 10 on which a protector. lever arm 11 is fulcrumed by having the 105 Fig. 2 is an end view of the device. outer ends of ears 12 piyotally mounted on Fig. 3 is a fragmentary lan view ofI4 the thepintle, these arms pro]ect1n g downwardly base portion and parts carried thereby. from the arm 11 and engaging the inner Fig. 4 is a sectional View on the linefl-ll, faces of the 'ears 9 to prevent sidewise move- Fig.l 1. f r Yment of the arm. This lever arm 11 eX- 110 tends transversely ofthe base 1 and is formed on its outer end with a head 13 which acts as a support for a guide extending longitudinally of the base. In the present instance this guide comprises two rods lil-14 having their inner ends projecting through holes therefor in the head 13 and lixed to the head, while their outer ends are rigidly connected by a link 15 removably vheld in place by screws 16 threaded into the ends of the rods 14,*this link being removable to permit placing a carriage 17 on the guide rods.

The carriage or slide 17 is a block having openings therethrough for receiving the rods 14 and whereby the block is slidably supported on the rods, movement of the carriage being back and forth between bumper washers 18 abutting opposed faces of the head 13 and link 15. 0n the under face of the carriage block 17 are two lugs 19 between which, rotatably mounted on a pin 2O carried by the lugs, is a marking roller 21 which coacts with a fixed bed o-r platen member 22 comprising a plate secured at its opposite ends by screws 23 to the base plate 1.

Any suitable impression surfaces may be formed on the roller and the platen. I prefer, however, to form on the face of the platen a plurality of alternately arranged and longitudinally extending V-shaped ridges and grooves, and to correspondingly form the sur Iace of the roller with intel meshing ridges and grooves so as to permit coaction ol' the two members in movement of the roller over the platen. The roller 21 is lalso grooved axially, the grooves preferably being `v"-shape, so that its surface presents a plurality of regularly spaced axially extending rows 24 of ridges with the edges of the ridges extending circumferentially of the roller and with the side walls of the axially extending grooves inclined. Thus, when a. check is marked by the device the marking will constitute a plurality of longitudinally extending rows of regularly spaced V-shaped depressions in the paper with the spaces and depressions in the several rows aligned transversely. The depth of these depressions 25 may be predetermined by an adjusting means which limits the movement of the roller toward the platen and such adjustment, it will readily be understood, permitting a corresponding depth of depression in papers of various thicknesses, the most satisfactory results being secured by making the adjustment so that the paper at the bottoms of the depressions will be broken. l have found that by marking the paper in this manner the legibility of the writing is not destroyed and that erasure of the writing is made practically impossible without destroying the paper.

rthe adjusting means, in this instance, is

an adjustable screw 26 threaded through a boss 27 on the lever arm 11 just in advance of the pintle 10, the bottom of the screw engaging the base plate 1 to limit the movement of the roller 21 toward the platen 22,

an arm projecting upwardly from the base plate intermediate the ears 9 and in rear of the pintle 10.

. In order to properly position and support the check so that the marking will be along a certain line, an elongated plate 31 is secured for lateral adjustment on the base plate 1 in substantially the plane of the platen and is formed with an upwardly extending' side flange 32 which acts as a gauge and aligning means for the check, the plate 31 also having a. tiange 33 bent downwardly over an end of the base 1 and slotted to rezeive a clamping screw 34: threaded into the Jase.

lVhcn operating the device a check is placed so as .to rest upon the platen and the supporting plate-31 with the side edge of the check against the gauge 32, after which the gauge is adjusted to properly position the check relatively to the platen so that the marking will be along a certain line such, for instance, as that on which the payees name is written. The lever arm 11 is then brought down against the action of the spring 28 by pressing on the knob 35 on the carriage 17 and at the same time the carriage is moved along the guide rods 14 to its outermost position. Further pressure is then exerted on the knob until the ridges on the roller are felt to break through the paper, this additional movement being limited by the adjustable stop 26, the carriage then being moved along the rods lil to its position against the lever head 13 and under a yielding pressure due to the action of the spring 28 which returns the lever and parts carried thereby to inoperative position when the hand of the operator is released from the knob, thel marking effected being as illustrated in Fig. 8 over the name of the payee. 7hile the operator uses one hand on the knob 35 to opera-te the marking roller, the fingers of the other hand are employed to hold the end of the check firmly against the extended table portion 36 of the base 1.

In Figs. 9 and 10 there is shown a moditication of the invention in which a carriage 87 movable on guide rods 51 carries two marking rollers 38 and 39 which coact with respective platens and 4l to mark a movable transversely of the carriage in a guide-way by means of an adjusting screw 46 threaded into the carriage and held against axial movement by a pin 47, these screws being operable from opposite sides of the Vcarriage to effect lateral adjustment of the rollers.

It might be added that the head portion 2 of the check writing machine is mounted upon a base 48 over which the check is fed and that the printing is done bythe coaction of a platen 49 supported in the base and type on a carrier, not shown, mounted lil for movementin the head 2 and controlled in its movement toward and from the platen 49 by the operating crank 50.

7What I claim fis:

l. In a check marking device, aA platen formed with a'plurality of parallel extendling ridges and grooves, a roller movable over said platen and formed with a surface mating with said ridges and grooves, the

surface of thev roller also being formed with regularly spaced axially extending grooves, and a support for the roller.

2. In a check marking device, a platen formed with a plurality of parallel extend` ing V-shape ridges and grooves, a roller movable over said platen and formed with a plurality of regularly spaced axially extending rows of ridges and grooves, these ridges and grooves extending circumferentially of the roller and mating with those of the platen, and a support for the roller.

3. In a check marking device, a platen formed with a plurality of parallel extending V-shape ridges and grooves, a roller movable over said platen and formed with a plurality of regularly spaced axially extending rows of ridges and grooves, these ridges and grooves extending circumferentially of the roller and mating with those of the laten, a support for the roller, and adj usta le means for limiting the movement or' the roller into coacting engagement with the platen.

4. In a check marking device, a platen Jformed with a plurality of parallel extending ridges and grooves, a roller movable over said platen and formed with a surface mating with said ridges and grooves, the ridges and grooves of one of said members being intersected by regularly spaced transverse grooves, and a support for the roller.

5. In a check protector, a platen, a guide movable toward and from the platen, a carriage movable on the guide longitudinally of the platen, a rollermounted on the carriage for coaction with the platen, spring means for returning the guide and vparts carried thereby to inoperative position and whereby the roller may be` yieldingly held during its movement'over the platen. n j j 6. In acheck protector, a platen, a guide movable toward and from the platen, a carriage movable on the guide longitudinally carriage for coaction with the platen, said platen and roller having intermeshing serrated surfaces, spring means for returning the guide and parts carried thereby to inoperative position and whereby the roller may be yieldingly held during its movement over the platen, and adjustable means for limiting movement of the roller into engagement Withthe platen.

7. In a check protector, a basea platen on" the base, a pivotally supported arm'movable in a plane transversely of the platen, a guide carried by said arm, a carriagemovable on said guide, a roller mounted on the carriage for coaction with said platen, the platen and roller having intermeshing serrated surfaces, adjustable means for limiting movement of the roller into coacting engagement with the platen, spring means for carrying said arm and parts carried thereby to inoperative position and whereby the roller may be yieldingly held in its movement over the platen,and a kstop for arresting said arm in its inoperative movement.

8. In a check protector, a. base, a platen on the base, an arm pivotally connected to the base and movable in a plane transversely of the platen, a guide comprising two spaced rods extending from said arm and parallel with said platen, a hand operated carriage movable on'said rods, a roller mounted on the carriage for coaction with the platen, said platen and roller having coacting paper marking surfaces, an adjustable stop for limiting movement of said arm in one direction, a stop for arresting the arm in its movement in the opposite direction, and spring means for normally holding the arm in inoperative position.

9. In a check protector, a base, a platen on the base, a lever arm fulcrumed on the base, stops on opposite sides of the tulcrum for limiting movement in opposite directions o'f said arm, one of the stops being adjustable, spring means for normally holding the arm against the other of said stops, a guide extending from said arm and in the direction of said platen, a carriage movable on said guide and removabletherefrom, and a roller mounted in said carriage, the platen and roller having coacting paper marking surfaces.

10. The combination with a check writing machine having a frame portion, of two members movable relatively toward and of the platen, a roller mounted on the'v from each other, one of said members coinprising a base removably secured to the said frame portion, and the other member comprising a lever arm fulcrumed on the base and movable in a plane transversely thereof, stops on opposite sides of said fulcrum for limiting` movement of the arm in opposite directions, one of said stops being adjustable and comprising a screw carried by one of said members and adapted to engage the other member, a coiled compression spring encircling said screw, a yplaten extending longitudinally of said base, a guide carried by said arm, a carriage movable on the guide parallel with said pla-ten, and a roller mounted on the carriage for movement back and forth over the platen, said platen and roller being formed with coacting paper marking` surfaces.

1l. The combination with a check writing machine having a frame portion, of a base member and means carried thereby for removably clamping,` it to the said frame portion, ears on said base, a stop on. the base intermediate and in rear of said ears, a pintle mounted in said ears, an arm movable in a plane transversely of the base and fulcrumed on the base by having ears projecting downwardly therefrom pivotally mounted on said pintle, an adjustable stop screw threaded through said arm in front of said pintle and adapted to engage said base to limit movement of said arm in one direction, while said first named stop limits movement of the arm in t-he opposite direction, a coiled compression springencircling said screw, a guide comprising two spaced rods carried by said lever arm, a platen on the base parallel with said rods, a removable connector for the outer ends of the rods, a carriage movable on the rods, a roller mounted on the carriage for movement over the platen, the platen and roller being formed with coacting paper marking surfaces, and a handle on the carriage for controllingboth the movement of the lever arm and operation of said roller.

12. In a check protector, a base, a guide movable toward and from the base, a carriage movable along said guide, a plurality of slides supported on the carriage and movable transversely thereof, a roller mounted in each of said slides, and means for effecting independent adjustment of each of the slides, the base and the rollers being formed with coacting paper marking surfaces.

13. In a check protector, a base, a guide movable toward and from the base, a carriage movable along' said guide, a plurality of slides supported on the carriage one in advance of the other and movable transversely of the carriage, a roller mounted in each of said slides, and an adjusting screw for each of the slides, the base and the ro-llers being' formed with coacting paper marking surfaces.

HERMAN C. VELTER. 

